Museu do Sertão, Cultural history museum in Petrolina, Brazil
The Museu do Sertão is a museum in Petrolina that displays the lives and work of people in northeastern Brazil through thousands of objects gathered from the region. The collections fill multiple rooms and cover everything from everyday household items to traditional crafts and religious articles.
The museum was founded in 1973 and was originally created with strong ties to a church organization that built the collection over the years. Several decades later, the entire building and exhibition were updated with a modern overhaul that improved how the objects are displayed.
The collection reflects how people in the northeast have lived and worked, with handcrafted items and religious objects that shaped local identity over time. Walking through the galleries, you can see how these traditions remain woven into everyday life and family practices today.
The museum is open several days each week and welcomes visitors at no cost. The galleries are spread across multiple rooms, so plan to spend enough time exploring each section at a comfortable pace.
One gallery holds clay sculptures with open eyes created by a local artist, each one telling a touching personal story about family and care. These handmade works are remarkably detailed and often pass unnoticed by visitors despite being among the most moving pieces in the building.
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